A broad knowledge of legislative, political, and medical practice issues led the Texas Medical Association House of Delegates to choose Robert T. Gunby, Jr., MD, of Dallas, as president-elect of the association. He assumed the TMA presidency during its annual convention in Grapevine in May 2005.
A board-certified obstetrician/gynecologist, Dr. Gunby has been active in organized medicine's issues since he joined the Dallas County Medical Society, TMA, and the American Medical Association in 1977. In 1998, he was elected president of the medical society in Dallas. During his tenure, he led physicians' response to problems the Genesis Physician Practice Association faced in its contract dispute with Aetna. That issue, and the work Dr. Gunby did, played a major role in the Texas Legislature's ultimate passage of a physician negotiation bill, which was designed to restore fairness in the contracting process.
Dr. Gunby was a member of the TMA Council on Socioeconomics for six years and was its chair for two years. During his time on the council, he met with insurance carriers to seek fair treatment for physicians. He was involved with political issues while serving as chair of the Texas Medical Association Political Action Committee Board of Directors. He also has served on the TMA Committee on Access to Health Care.
Dr. Gunby has been active in the House of Delegates, serving as an alternate delegate from 1988 to 1991, and as a delegate since 1992. He chaired the Dallas delegation in 1997. He also serves as an alternate delegate to AMA.
Dr. Gunby has received many awards for his work on behalf of patients and physicians. In July 2004, he received the Texas Academy of Family Physicians (TAFP) Patient Advocacy Award. The award is presented annually to an individual who demonstrates an outstanding commitment to protecting and advancing the welfare of patients in Texas.
"Dr. Gunby has helped lead organized medicine through some of the most difficult times we, as a profession, have ever faced, all the while keeping patient care as our foundation, said David Schneider, MD, outgoing TAFP president, who presented the awarded. "We very much look forward to continue working with you on issues important to medicine and our patients."
He also has been inducted into the American Obstetrical Association Honor Society.
Dr. Gunby is the medical director of labor and delivery and assistant chief of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Baylor University Medical Center in Dallas. He has served as medical staff president and chair of the Medical Board at Baylor, where he completed his internship and residency. Because he was in general practice for two years before turning to obstetrics and gynecology, he has the perspective of both a generalist and a specialist.
Dr. Gunby received his medical degree from the Medical College of Georgia in 1971 where he was elected into Alpha Omega Alpha, the national honor medical society. He also received a master's degree in biology from Georgia State College, and a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science from Emory University.
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